Never Let You Go: A Novel

by Chevy Stevens

Overview

A stunning and thrilling novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Still Missing.

Eleven years ago, Lindsey Nash escaped into the night with her young daughter and left an abusive relationship. Her ex-husband, Andrew, was sent to jail and Lindsey started over with a new life.

Now, Lindsey is older and wiser, with her own business and a teenage daughter who needs her more than ever. When Andrew is finally released from prison, Lindsey believes she has cut all ties and left the past behind her. But she gets the sense that someone is watching her, tracking her every move. Her new boyfriend is threatened. Her home is invaded, and her daughter is shadowed. Lindsey is convinced it’s her ex-husband, even though he claims he’s a different person. But has he really changed? Is the one who wants her dead closer to home than she thought?

With Never Let You Go, Chevy Stevens delivers a chilling, twisting thriller that crackles with suspense as it explores the darkest heart of love and obsession.

"Stevens's taut writing and chilling depiction of love twisted beyond recognition make this a compelling read." —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"Disturbing, suspenseful, and just a little nerve-wracking." —Library Journal

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250137166
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	03/13/2018
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	189,349
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 7.80(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

CHEVY STEVENS grew up on a ranch on Vancouver Island and still lives on the island with her husband and daughter. When she’s not working on her next book, she’s camping and canoeing with her family in the local mountains. Her debut novel, Still Missing, won the International Thriller Writers Award for Best First Novel.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Never Let You Go:

"A fast-paced thriller with a surprise twist." —Kirkus Reviews

"The gripping, often terrifying story follows Lindsey as she endures the roller coaster that is survival and in the end finds an outcome that she never expected... Stevens’ portrayal is spot-on." —Booklist

Praise for Chevy Stevens’ Novels:

"Gripping...unforgettable." —Gillian Flynn

"Heart-pounding." —Lisa Gardner

"Will have you spellbound." —Karin Slaughter

“Engrossing, suspenseful.” –Library Journal

"Utterly absorbing." —Kathy Reichs

“Chilling, compelling.” —William Landay

“Tense…Action-packed.” –Kirkus Reviews

“Fast-paced and thought-provoking.” –Kimberly McCreight

“An emotional rollercoaster you’ll be sorry to get off of when you finish the last page.” –Jennifer McMahon

“Stevens skillfully builds suspense.” –Publishers Weekly

“Haunting and harrowing.” –Megan Abbott

“Taught and riveting.” –Hilary Davidson

“Deep and exciting.” –Lisa Unger

“Riveting.” –Alafair Burke

From the Publisher

01/01/2017
In Steven's sixth novel (after Those Girls), we meet Lindsey, a woman who has escaped an abusive husband and created a settled and safe life with her teenage daughter, Sophie. The story of the disintegration of Lindsey's marriage to Andrew, told in flashbacks, explains her need to be independent and her fierce protection of Sophie. When Andrew reappears after a long imprisonment, disturbing things begin to happen to Lindsey. Sophie, who is curious about her father, makes contact with him, and they began to meet secretly. The tension escalates as Lindsey struggles to regain control of her life and escape from the subtle terror that colors her every move. Friends, boyfriends, and a concerned police officer become involved as the danger escalates. The story is told in the alternating voices of Lindsey and Sophie, allowing readers to understand both characters more fully. The Pacific Northwest small-town setting contributes to the sense of looming disaster as it is continually beset with fog, rain, and snow. VERDICT Disturbing, suspenseful, and just a little nerve-wracking, this fast-paced psychological thriller will keep fans of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl on edge. [See Prepub Alert, 9/26/16.]—Terry Lucas, Shelter Island P.L., NY

Library Journal

2016-12-19
In Stevens' (Those Girls, 2015, etc.) latest, a Canadian woman believes a decade in prison hasn't lessened her former husband's obsessive belief that they were meant to be together. Lindsey was a clerk when she fell for Andrew, a prosperous contractor. Soon she was head over heels in love with him, a man kind enough to give her out-of-work father a job as a foreman. They married. Soon, though, came incidents when Andrew inflicted emotional terror. After daughter Sophie was born, the abuse turned physical. Lindsey feared for her life. She fled, taking Sophie. In pursuit and driving drunk, Andrew killed a young woman, a crime that led to his imprisonment. In the meantime, Lindsey escaped to Dogwood Bay, a small town near Vancouver. Feeling free, she joined a support group where she met Marcus, a reserved man coping with his own tragedy, and found a boyfriend, Greg, a quiet, laid-back delivery driver. Then, sentence complete, Andrew arrived in Dogwood Bay. Andrew was a textbook abuser: charismatic, handsome, possessive, rigid, and violent. There are hints Andrew has reformed, but Lindsey is skeptical, and shadows within the narrative suggest the old Andrew is at work again. Stevens' tale isn't linear, instead shifting back and forth across 20 years, sometimes a chronicle of misdirection, more often a dissection of obsession and revenge, fear and terror. Most of the chapters are narrated by Lindsey, a haunted character, while at other times Sophie relates the tale, "too young to comprehend obsession," stumbling to reconnect with a father she's never known. The pace never slackens until a death sends the narrative spinning, hidden dangers lurking even while Lindsey worries that Sophie's youthful romance displays disturbing parallels to Lindsey's courtship with Andrew. Stevens' take on a familiar woman-pursued-by-abuser plot has sparked a fast-paced thriller with a surprise twist.

Kirkus Reviews